Arcade Fire, Air Set For Bowie-Curated FestivalThe Arcade Fire, Air, Deerhoof, Secret Machines and the Polyphonic Spree are among the first acts confirmed for the inaugural High Line Festival, which, as previously reported, will be curated by David Bowie. The event will run May 9-19 at venues near the High Line, a public park being created atop a long-abandoned elevated railway line on the west side of Manhattan.

Although it was announced last year that Bowie would play an outdoor concert as part of the festival, such an event is not on the initial High Line schedule.

“The request was for me to choose artists and acts that I myself would go out of my way to see,” Bowie says on his Web site. “Although this inaugural year will be modest in scale we’ve been pretty lucky in that many whom I asked have accepted.

“I’m also pleased that many emerging artists are participating alongside more established talents that represent a fairly wide cross section of disciplines within the arts community,” he continues. “I would really hope that the exposure this festival affords will help these folk get the attention they deserve.”

The H&M-sponsored festival will also boast a May 19 show by comedian Ricky Gervais, performances by Laurie Anderson and John Cameron Mitchell, a public art exhibition and screenings of Bowie’s 10 favorite Spanish-language films.

According to Bowie’s site, the artist “hopes to be adding a few more artists plus some support acts that aren’t in place yet.”(billboard online)